1920 - by David Pietrusza (Paperback)

About the Book

A vivid portrait of the election that shaped modern America

Book Synopsis

The presidential election of 1920 was among history's most dramatic. Six once-and-future presidents-Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt-jockeyed for the White House. With voters choosing between Wilson's League of Nations and Harding's front-porch isolationism, the 1920 election shaped modern America. Women won the vote. Republicans outspent Democrats by 4 to 1, as voters witnessed the first extensive newsreel coverage, modern campaign advertising, and results broadcast on radio. America had become an urban nation: Automobiles, mass production, chain stores, and easy credit transformed the economy. 1920 paints a vivid portrait of America, beset by the Red Scare, jailed dissidents, Prohibition, smoke-filled rooms, bomb-throwing terrorists, and the Klan, gingerly crossing modernity's threshold.

Review Quotes

"[A] campaign like no other before or since. David Pietrusza... builds the suspense of the 1920 campaign so effectively that the reader easily suspends, for the moment, knowledge of the outcome, as if it were still about to happen."--The Weekly Standard

"A colorful, nonacademic account.... Most of all, there are characters. Pietrusza draws them sharply: the imperious Wilson, the obliging Harding, the dour and honest Coolidge and the ambitious and dissembling Franklin Roosevelt. Fans of political history will enjoy this book."--Seattle Times

"A hugely fascinating episode in American history, told with insight and great humor, by an author in command of his subject."--Kirkus Review, starred review

"A terrific and fun read."--Bloomberg Radio

"A very vivid portrait of each of these presidents."--Ann Compton, ABC News

"Absorbing...a broad, satisfying political and social history."--Publishers Weekly

"An ably popular treatment that fans of campaign histories will enjoy."--Booklist

"Fascinating and compelling.... Highly recommended."--Library Journal

"In 1920: The Year of Six Presidents, writer David Pietrusza shows the right way to pull together disparate characters into a coherent narrative...this book portrays an America that has stopped looking backward and has begun to craft a new country and a new world role."--Washington Times

"More than just a story of six men who either already had been president or would be, this is the story of America as it moved into the modern age."--Denver Post

"Sweeping and original."--The History Book Club

About the Author

David Pietrusza or edited over three dozen books. His Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis captured the 1998 CASEY Award. He was an editor of Total Baseball, the Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. Pietrusza's more recent book, Ted Williams: My Life in Pictures, was written with Ted Williams. He lives in upstate New York.